Valkyria Chronicles: Delta Squad
by LazyName
Summary: Taking place in the Second Europan War, while Squad 7 and Squad 442 are busy turning the tides of war into Gallian favor. There was another group, that would aid in Gallia becoming victorious against the Empire invasion. Note: This is non-canon but utilizes many canon characters.
1. Prologue

"2nd Company charge with all your might! Give me time to make a tactical retreat!" ordered General Damon of the Gallian Army. He rushed over to his command vehicle waiting for the driver to start heading out. He turned back towards the company, "Don't falter! Stand your ground, your sacrifice will be," he paused, "honored." The vehicle rushed away from the battlefield.

As the general was escaping, the 2nd Company leader clicked his tongue in disappointed and began to yell for the full frontal assault. "Do not let them take this position!" There was a loud battle cry coming from all the soldiers. They started to quickly charge into the hostile artillery bombardment, machine gun fire, and land mines. The explosions and bullets firing was deafening. It lasted for three minutes until smoke covered the entire battlefield. The gunfire and artillery ceased, and within minutes of the charge the battle was already decided. The fog of war lifted and it was grimmly clear that 2nd Company was obliterated. Out of the dust and smoke emerged a lonely soldier. The only one who survived the massacre. He slowly crawled away from the battlefield and never looked back. This is Samuel Walker...

Samuel Walker soon became someone he didn't want to be, he was promoted to Gallian Army Sergeant First Class. He was praised for being a hero in dark times, showing bravery as a true Gallian. The news of the now Sergeant First Class came to General Damon, whom blamed the 2nd Company Leader for being incompetent. The general was not happy that Samuel was the lone survivor, thus, he forced Samuel to be discharged from the Gallian Army. "It's for his own safety, as he's been through the true horrors of war. I asked him to be discharged, so he could be living a more peaceful life."

His fame would soon be overtaken by the great war hero, Belgen Gunther, defending against the Empire invasion. It was only a few months later would the Empire pull out after signing a cease-fire treaty with the Federation. Samuel would retire to the countryside having nightmares of the horror that occurred to him in that battle. He knew many comrades that he befriended and seeing them killed in action. He has been in many battles, but only one he remembers is the one where he was the only so survive. Locals of his town would say he grown cold towards all that approached him.

The cease-fire would only last a few years before the next Europan War would ignite. The desperate need for ragnite grew tremendously and the cease-fire was broken. As the Second Europan War began, the Empire decided to once again invade Gallia for its rich resources. All able bodies of Gallia were quickly drafted into the Army and the Militia, preparing themselves for war. Samuel Walker was no exception, and he was recalled into service. However Princess Cordelia Gi Rangriz asked to set up a new branch of military that would help aid the Army and Militia. General Damon was surprised of the new opening branch, and voiced his concerns. "Princess, we have the very strong Army that can support both land and sea, why would we need another branch?"

The princess, under the influence of Maurits von Borg, ordered for a new branch to be called the Gallian Marine Corps. General Damon was not happy, but respecting the wishes of the princess he asked to hand pick commanders for the Corps. Cordelia gave him permission and Damon grinned as he knew who should be assigned. General Damon doesn't believe in anything other than the Gallian Army itself. He looks down upon the Militia and this newly established Marine Corps will only be a thorn at his side. The Gallian Marine Corps was only newly established, therefore he could control it and use it for his own personal gain. Damon then chose potential leaders to be thrown into this division, one of which was Samuel.

Samuel was notified and transferred to the new division. The assigned Gallian Marine Corps Commandant was Alison Crownguard. Crownguard comes from royal bloodlines, however she seeks to help those in need of assistance. Damon has seen Alison command fights in the Militia, and she is skilled to where he could lose his General position. He thinks that Alison had a lucky fluke streak, so he still underestimate her ability. Alison, on the other hand, saw this as an opportunity to be different from the Army. She fought as a Corporal in the Gallian Militia and help lead a squad when their commanding officer was killed. Her bravery and quick thinking was able to save many lives. She was promoted to Lieutenant afterwards. Though with an entire military division in her hands she still doesn't have enough Marines to last in a stand up fight against the highly mobile and trained Empire. She seeks to increase the Marines strength to at least three divisions, but still considerably smaller than the Army. She quickly makes work and gathers those chosen by Damon, briefing them on what the Gallian Marine Corp represent and will do. She tells her initial batch of squad leaders, they will not be assigned numbers but by word designation. She makes five squads name, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Echo. "You will hand pick your squad from this list. Many of these soldiers are serving in the Militia, however there are a few in the Army, though I'd say these are just recruits." For Samuel, not only seeing the devastation, but for a chance to see it again, he felt pain inside him. He was called for again to serve and he has to do his duty. Alison continued, "You will also be assigned new rankings. We will work independently from the Gallian Army and show them that we are not just another Militia branch for them to pick on. From this point on all Sergeant First Class of the Gallian Army will be now known as Gunnery Sergeant of the Gallian Marine Corps."

The Second Europan War truly began for the Gallians when the Empire took control of Ghirlandaio and made its assault on Bruhl. Samuel Walker under the new military division, Gallian Marine Corps, will walk on the fields of battle once more.


	2. The Squad

In the Marine Corps barracks, Gunnery Sergeant Samuel Walker stood silently in his room looking at himself in the mirror to see the man with a torn soul. The energetic youthful soldier of eleven years ago is no longer apparent in the reflection. The now experienced and newly promoted Gunnery Sergeant looks nothing from his old youthful self. Time was not kind to the 30 year old Gunnery Sergeant, his hair greyed and a long scar from the old war stretched from his left ear to the middle of his cheek. The physical reminder of the pain he experienced in the last war. But war gives two wounds, one that is seen and the one that is unseen. Scars outside may heal quickly, but the scars inside will not always get better with time. Sam Walker is haunted by the devastation that occurred during the first Europan War. He turned towards his closet which garners mostly worn-out, colourless shirts and pants. Pushing them aside, there are two neatly ironed and hanged uniforms. A dark blue uniform which has the Sergeant ranking stitched onto the uniform. The chest insignia has a gold rocker, the shoulder strap is a gold outlining with a button sealing it in the uniform, and the collar has the Gallian National pride animal, the Pegasus. It's does have some minor colour fading from being on field during the First Europan War. Samuel thens remembers his entire company being annihilated with him being the only survivor. His memories torture him with this so many times. He shoves the Gallian Army uniform aside to find the other uniform.

The dark blue uniform with black trousers sit clean and hardly touched. This was the Gallian Marine Corps uniform. Today was the day that Samuel would pick whom he wanted in his squad. He arrived at the debriefing room. It was obvious that the room was in poor shape. It's obvious that the room hasn't been used in years. It had a bad odor and there were places where the storage racks would be placed by the bright painting contrasting the rest of the faded walls. Samuel decided to at least clean the table placed in the room. Using his hand cloth, he brushed away dust that had piled from inactive use. it was moments later that Commandant Alison would open the door and quickly jerk at the odor. Samuel turned and was in attention stance. "Gunnery Sergeant Samuel Walker reporting in," Samuel said as Alison dismissed him from his stance.

"At ease, Walker. Such a mess in isn't it? I guess you can't help it. We're a new military branch, so we would receive some poor treatment. Thank you for putting in hard work however," Alison helped clean with Samuel until the other squad leaders arrived. The selection began. Alison handed each of them a packet that contained over 100 soldiers ranging from Militia to recruits in the Army. Samuel looked over the list. Each soldier had their name, rank, class, and any notable achievements they may have received while in either on the field or in school. After a few hours of detailed searching, Samuel assembled his squad. He delivered his choices to Commandant Alison, where she approved of his choice and took a photo copy. She said in a commanding authoritative voice, "You're dismissed, you're free to return to your room."

Samuel replied in an equal authoritative tone, "Dismissed aye-aye ma'am." He took one step back, "Good afternoon ma'am." He did a sharp about face and walked out of the room in a military manner.

As Samuel was walking back to his room he looked at the choices he made to briefly review who he chose. He assigned Staff Sergeant Seryna Forenza as his senior non-commissioned officer. Her portrait was lighter compared to the others. She had a small confident smile and a military natural shade of makeup while she wore her dress uniform with her cover on. Samuel chose her for her blood relations to the legendary Belgen Gunther. She had a different last name, because her mother married a man with influential ties with the government thus changing her last name to match his. She has shown much success running recon for the Gallian Militia. Seryna has also proven to be a leader; her previous squad's 2nd Lieutenant was killed in action and she took over saving the rest of the squad. Samuel knew if he were to be killed, there will be someone who can take control in those times.

The next person is Sergeant Nathan Hale, an engineer that had his name known throughout the Militia. His squad was defending Kloden when the Imperials overran them under the supervision of the Empire's Berthold Gregor. As a last ditch effort, he charged forward and set two satchel charges onto the backs of two Imperial tanks and ignited the fuse. Both tanks were destroyed and Nathan received the Bronze Star for his bravery while in Kloden. For Samuel, having someone who has experience in the battlefield and quick thinking is a valuable asset. As he was looking through the rest of Nathan's details, there was a note that stated, "A total flirt and serial romantic."

Corporal Tyler Herrick, a stoic country boy, rose the rank by being studious. Originally drafted as a recruit, his hard work and performing extra work made him reliable Marine. For his work he was promoted faster than everyone else. It wasn't just his hard work, he was deadly accurate with a sniper and earning a perfect score during target practice. The second Corporal he selected was Eve, had a note stating it was pronounced Eevee, Straus. Eve works as a medic. She is fast and efficient helping soldiers in and out. No matter how many soldiers come in wounded, she will always have them patched up before nightfall. Samuel wanted someone who could handle pressure and Eve was the right woman to do so.

Samuel also chose another Staff Sergeant in his squad. This one was, however, with experience in the the First Europan War. Staff Sergeant Alex Taylor, an Army Engineer that served in 1st Company, had the veterancy and near the same age as Samuel. The experience in battle will be essential to guide the newer Marines to not make the mistakes that others have been killed doing so. One look at Alex's face shows time did not affect him as hard as it for Samuel.

As Samuel was going down the list, he noticed he started to finally reach some of the recruits. Private Oscar Hawkins just graduated from Lanseal Academy and was immediately placed in the Gallian Militia. He was tough and showed his loyalty for the country. Another graduate from Lanseal is Private Ashleigh Wyatt. She was your typical country girl. As a Scout, she could cover ground faster than any other. In her time at the Academy, she participated in primarily boys tournaments for her physical stamina was above and beyond the average girl of her age.

The next two were his Lancers, Lance Corporals Jack Conklin and Samantha Henderson. Lance Corporal Jack, was short but buff. He loved to destroy tanks, it was stated he asked to be put straight into Lancer training when drafted. Lance Corporal Samantha, on the other hand, was intellectual. She studied how the anti-tank munitions would be affected if fired at an angle to increase the effective range. Samuel knew she'd be an asset. As for Jack, he needed someone who is just waiting for battle to start.

Samuel looked down at the next three recruits. These would be with him while commandeering a tank. The tank pilot Private Kenway Biels's photo shows him almost nervous in front of the camera. He wears glasses and has messy short brown hair. Although lacking confidence, he scored the highest in piloting a tank. Next are the twins, Private Charles and Jane Ryan, whom work well together. Being twins made them able to be in sync with one another. Loading the cannon and firing with much efficiency.

Samuel chose these men and women to fight alongside him. However, the memory of the 2nd Company Massacre haunts him. Though he was not it charge, he still lived it and that was reason enough for him to be plagued. He lost all of his friends that day. He come to realize that war is hell, and in war there is only pain. But this jobs seems to be the only one he is suited for. To assure he won't sever any meaningful bonds when bullets fly, he decided he won't make any bonds to begin with. He'll make sure they stay at least arm's distance from him. He'll be there to lead them in war, set the example, and be the leader they need him to be, but he won't know them personally. Strictly professional. He retires to his room for another sleepless night. This night won't be any different, it'll be just like all the other nights for the past ten years.


	3. Squad Introductions

Only a few hours past when Samuel heard knocking at his door. He fell asleep on his bed in his service uniform for the past few hours. The Marine Corps Service uniform consists of black trousers, a polished black plastic belt with gold buckle, long sleeve light blue buttoned up collared shirt with two chest pockets, a tie with gold tie clasp, and a black semi form fitting uniform coat. Samuel's coat hung neatly on its hanger on the open closet door in his room. He sat up on his bed and proceeded to make himself presentable. Adjusting his tie and clearing away any wrinkles to make sure his uniform shirt was nice and tight. He opens the door to find a woman standing in front of him, he had a serious and emotionless expression across his face. She looks at him with a courteous smile, "Gunnery Sergeant Samuel Walker, I am Staff Sergeant Seryna Forenza. I am your assigned senior non-commissioned officer." She then holds out a clipboard, "I have a note from Commandant Crownguard, 'Your squad is in the chow hall awaiting orders.' If you would, Gunnery Sergeant, introduce yourself as the squad leader." Samuel nodded and followed Seryna out towards the chow hall.

The chow hall assigned for the Gallian Marines was an old tank garage with a slapped on kitchen one side. To Samuel he knew that Damon was behind this, give the Marines poor facilities and make their life in the new branch hell. Damon believed that the Marines were a thorn at his side, and only believed the Gallian Army should take the glory in battle and war. He looked at the Marines in the same light as the militia. A worthless ineffective fighting force. Samuel entered the chow hall and saw his squad standing at attention in two rows in their original militia or Army uniforms. The squad stood in front of the four columns of tables with benches. Each bench had a number engraved on the bench. Seryna turns and states, "This is for your use, Gunnery Sergeant. In case we need to be briefed or have matters to attend to, the numbers are used then."

Samuel turned to face the squad. He cleared throat and said, "As of now, you are all Marine recruits. A Gallian Marine, we are a new branch of armed forces in the Gallian military service." He spoke loud and confidently as he paced up and down in front of the squad. He turned his head to his squad, "General Damon of the butt ugly national Army does not see the Marine Corps as an effective fighting force. He hates us and does not respect us. But I don't give a flying pigs ass about him and neither should you." He stopped in the center of the squad and faced them, "We will be the Gallians most effective and most lethal fighting force anyone has ever seen. We will be the best!" He paced again, "But to be the best, you must train to be the best." He listed his expectations, "Our daily lives will include rigorous training to meet the Commandant's requirements to be a Marine. Be prepared to endure the struggles you will face. We're not here for a party, we're not here to get laid, we're here to kill. If killing is not your profession, better beat feet and leave. We will begin on the training field at 0500 everyday. Questions." The squad looked nervous and a tad bit shaken and his speech. Seryna and Alex were the least nervous solely because they knew a speech like that was coming. They knew that the Marines had to prove their worth, and the only way to do that is by winning battles. Walker nodded when no one asked questions, "if you're so fortunate to make it to the end of this training cycle, then you will have the right to try and get to know me. You're dismissed." Samuel walked away leaving the squad to carry on.

Returning to his room, he meets Commandant Alison. He stands in attention, "Commandant Crownguard," he says letting her pass. Alison nods.

She turned towards Samuel, "Oh, Gunnery Sergeant, I wanted to say. I heard about what happened during the First Europan War, the 2nd Company Massacre. It's very tragic tale, but you shouldn't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault. You were just following orders." This prompted a series of flashbacks in Samuel. The screams of pain and the roar of explosions rush through him, but he kept a stoic expression. "If there's anything wrong, let me know so I can do my best to help." She walks away leaving Samuel alone. He turned and returned to his room and opens a cabinet that holds a small silver flask. He took it out and opened it. The air trapped inside the flask rushes out the moment it was open giving off a whiskey scent. He takes a big swig from the flask, as he took a seat on his chair. He leaned back on his chair and took another swig from his flask drinking his memories away.

Meanwhile back at the chow hall, Nathan was sitting at a small table alone and noticed a very beautiful woman sitting alone at another table across from him. He clapped his hands together and walked towards Seryna confidently. He approached Seryna, "Hey. Name is Sergeant Nathan Hale." He said casually and stuck his hand out for a friendly handshake.

Seryna spoke in a slight accent, "Hey. Staff Sergeant Seryna Forenza." She smiled and shook his hand.

Nathan smiled and looked at the seat opposite of her, "May I?"

Seryna nodded, "Go right ahead." Nathan took a seat and briefly admired Seryna's beauty as she was looking around the chow hall. He admired her dark brown hair that was tied up in a tight bun at the back of her head, her slightly tan skin, her medium thick lips, and her beautiful facial structure. Even in her Militia uniform, she looked absolutely beautiful. He couldn't help but admire her. The chow hall was not serving food at the moment but the hall was relatively packed with Marine recruits enjoying their last amounts of down time before the Marine Corps training phase.

Nathan smiled, "You look very beautiful, even in uniform." He complimented her, keeping it a subtle flirt. He chuckled, "Not many people stand out in uniform but you do. That's a great thing."

Seryna didn't blush like Nathan thought. She gave a friendly simply smiled, "Thank you." Nathan raised a brow in curiosity expecting something more. Seryna shrugged, "The fact that you opened up the conversation with 'you look very beautiful in uniform' tells me you are used to flirting with girls." Nathan slumped his shoulders. He did admit that she isn't wrong, but he sure as hell won't admit she is right.

On the other side, the twins Private Charles and Private Jane Ryan stuck together enjoying personal talk. "Hey brother, what do you think of our leader?" Jane asked hugging him from behind. Charles closed his book and shrugged.

"It is Gunnery Sergeant Samuel Walker. He was the only survivor in the 2nd Company Massacre. Possibly it had affected him emotionally. Other than that we will have to see how he leads us. But so far, he's seems cold and unforgiving, but a driven individual." Charles smiled at his sister, "We have training soon, I'm going to check if we received our combat uniforms."

"I'll go with you, brother!" Jane happily said. Jane has always followed her brother everywhere. Whenever she got lost, she'd blamed herself for not sticking with her brother. As the twins were leaving, there was an arm wrestling battle between, Private Oscar Hawkins and Lance Corporal Jack Conklin.

"I ain't givin' up just yet!" Oscar said as he tries to use his strength to take down the muscular Lance Corporal. Jack just stares at him grinning. Jack placed more strength into his arm and forcing Oscar's arm to nearly fall. The last bit of struggle comes from Oscar before giving out and falling completely. Lance Corporal Jack got up and cheered for himself. Oscar smacks the table cursing.

"Jack is strong! OORAH!" He laughs to himself.

"That was quite a spectacle," Staff Sergeant Alex Taylor said with a laugh. Alex was much older than the others. He served in the First Europan War. Corporal Tyler Herrick sat at another table just watching from a distance. As the boys were roughhousing, the girls went to have coffee. Corporal Eve Straus, Lance Corporal Samantha Henderson, and Private Ashleigh Wyatt discussed their roles and where they were before being assigned to the Gallian Marines.

"How did you enjoy Lanseal, Samantha?" Eve asked taking a sip of coffee.

"It was mostly just learning about Lancer Anti-Tank Launchers, for me at least. I actually brought the idea of firing rounds at an arc to increase the effective range of them," the Lance Corporal said. She pushed her hair back and looked at Private Ashleigh Wyatt. "So, Ashleigh I heard you were competing in the boys tournaments."

Ashleigh was surprised by the knowledge of her background. She smiled about it, "Well I did, yes. It was requested that I participate with the boys." Samantha giggled. "Wh-what is it, Samantha?"

"Oh I'm just wondering if you had a lot of fangirls," Samantha looked at her with mischievous eyes. Ashleigh laughed.

"Of course. They viewed me as a role model. Though, there was quite of bit of girls that told me they wished I was a boy. I wouldn't know why though." This prompted Samantha and Eve to laugh. "Wh-what did I say?"

"It's nothing! Don't worry about it." The squad quickly got themselves well acquainted. They wouldn't know what the Gallian Marine Corp had planned for the training cycle. Based off what Samuel said, things might get rough.

Soon it became nightfall and Staff Sergeant Alex was returning to his squad barracks when he met his Gunnery Sergeant. "Good evening, Gunnery Sergeant," Alex said nodding at him. Samuel nodded back and noticed his uniform.

"Staff Sergeant." Samuel said in a serious tone, "You served in the Army in the first Europan War?" Alex nodded.

"Indeed. I served in 1st Company. I heard about the stories of 2nd Company, I send my condolences. Rumors had it that Damon gave the order to stay. However, I can't say much without getting roasted." Samuel's flashbacks rushed through past his eyes again.

Samuel looked coldly at Alex, "For the whole day everyone has mentioned my past experience in the battle I don't want to name nor do I want to remember." He spoke even colder, "Do yourself and the squad a favor, and never mention the massacre ever again. Do you hear me recruit?" Alex nodded nervously. Samuel cleared his throat, "You best be on your way back to the barracks. We have a lot of training to do tomorrow." He turned around and left.

"Understood." Alex said to Samuel's back.

As Alex approached the squad male barracks he sighed to himself. Since the squad is co-gender the Marines made separate barracks' for men and women, so men and women won't stay with each other. But the squad female barracks was right across the path from the male barracks. Alex arrived at the squad barracks, to find everyone was staring at him. He knew why. Alex was the only one that was from the Gallian Army, and the rest were from Militia. There were stories that the Militia got hit with the front end of the decisions made by the Army. He calmly said, "Calm down. Before you jump to conclusions, you should know that not all those whom served in the Army are assholes."

"The Army gave us these outdated barracks. We're upset with them, and even Gunnery Sarnt said, 'The Marines are a thorn in their side.'" Oscar said in a thick country accent.

Corporal Tyler Herrick sat down on his rack (bed) and sighed, "Gunnery Sergeant is right. The Army is a bunch of pricks…" that was the most Tyler said the whole day. Some of the squad forgot who he was even in the squad.

"I completely understand. Let me tell you a story of my life in the Army back in the First Europan War." Alex took a breath, "I was a fresh Private recruit when joining the Army, assigned to 1st Company."

A young Alex Taylor stood in front of a gate leading into one of many Gallian Army forward bases. Tanks were continuously rolling in to prepare for a full scale assault, there was a call for 2nd Company to mobilize to arrive at Naggiar to meet the Imperials. It was said that General Damon himself would command at Naggiar and be present during all combat operations. When Alex's watch was over, he reported to his 1st Company commander. The Company Commander spoke in a confident military manner, "You're to report to Supply and make sure we are fully equipped."

"Yes sir!" Alex walked towards the Supply building when he walked by the General's tent to overhear his conversation.

"Look, I want both 1st and 2nd Company to be at Naggiar Plains," said a voice that belonged to General Damon.

"General, I want to say that we do have the Militia to use as bullet sponges. We can even grab the so called Belgen Gunther to 'bring' us to victory," one of his advisors said.

"Is that so? Then maybe we can just bring 2nd Company then. Though I think they'll be wiped out and we will have to save them...or we could leave them to die. Whatever the case, we will deploy 2nd Company south of Naggiar. We'll send them where we heard of a detachment being sent to flank when the main battle happens. We'll match them with Militia and watch their reactions when 2nd Company arrives at their flank." Damon groaned, "I have high doubts the Militia would be of any help. They just need to hold the line until 2nd Company arrives. I'll personally come with 2nd Company." Alex couldn't believe what he was hearing. They were going to send the entire Militia to just hold off the main Imperial force.

"What kind of discrimination is this?" Alex thought to himself. He wanted to do something but there was nothing he could do. He was just a Private. He decided not to do anything and went directly to report to Supply.

Alex returned to his Company Commander and handed him a clipboard that the Supply Officer gave him. Before he left Alex asked, "Sir, what do you think of the Militia? If you don't mind me asking"

"Hmm? They're just Militia. I don't see them as anything else. I don't view them as much." The Company Commander waved his hand, "If that's all, you're dismissed. I have to assist General Damon with the battle plans tonight."

The following day, the detachment the Imperials had sent was a trap to lure in a large contingent of the Gallian Army. They swapped positions leading to have the main force of the Empire face the lonely and out gunned 2nd Company.

"And that's will be forever known as the 2nd Company Massacre," finished his story and stood up to stretch. There was a long silence in the barracks. "I don't expect you to forgive what my former branch did. However, I learned from that experience that the Militia was never taken seriously. We, as Marines, will only get treated the same way. What we can do is prove we are just as strong, if not stronger, than the Gallian Army. We just need to work hard." Alex smiled then looked at the rack, "Anyway, it's best we call it a night, we got a lot of training to do tomorrow." Alex laid down on his rack, waiting for everyone else to turn in, and shut off the lights.


	4. Training

The time is 0400, bright and early on board the Rangriz Marine Base. The squad rose early to meet their Gunnery Sergeant at the designated time, they all dressed in the same PT (Physical Training) gear which consisted of a plain blue shirt, short black running shorts, white socks, and running shoes. When both the men and women left their respective barracks for formation they saw a line of large cardboard boxes in the middle of the pathway that cut between the male and female barracks'. Inside the boxes are the Gallian Marine combat uniforms and combat gear . The uniform surprised everyone. Instead of carrying the Gallians colors, the uniform consists of variety of green colors. Both the combat blouse and trouser had the variety of green pigments in a new effort to camouflage the fighting man in battle. The combat gear also consisted with a steel helmet, black combat boots, green war belt with green suspenders, ammunition pouches, entrenching tool, and a green canvas assault bag. The helmet had a green fabric cover that covered the outside of the helmet to match the combat uniform. The squad went back to their respective barracks and changed into the combat blouse and trousers, and boots.

The squad lined up in two rows of six, awaiting instructions from their Gunnery Sergeant. Gunnery Sergeant Samuel approached the squad then stopped in front and center of the squad. He observed his squad for a brief moment, and he wasn't entirely impressed. He's supposed to take this band of militia and former Army and turn them into an effective combat unit. He sighed silently and thought to himself, _We have a long way to go…_ He shouted loudly, "You all look like straight ass!" He started to pace from one side to the next, "I don't give a shit about what training or experience you may or may not have! You feel comfortable in how good you are that you are too lazy to put your goddamn boots on straight!" He pointed at Lance Corporal Jack Conklin's feet. Jack had his boots on the wrong feet… Everyone in the squad mumbled and shook nervously at their Gunnery Sergeant. It's the first day and he's already starting off a million miles per hour. Samuel spoke some more, "The enemy I know is a smart enemy! He will exploit your weakness. Complacency kills, ladies and gentlemen! So if you want to die, then continue looking like ass, and I'll get the doc to tag your worthless corpse back to your pathetic mother." He stopped in the center once again, "The Gallian Marine Corps will be the best of the best. To be the best you must train the best." He shook his head, "This is war. There are no points for second place." He then stood in the position of attention, "Atten-HUT!" The squad quickly snapped straight up in the position of attention. Samuel yelled again, "Right! Face!" The squad complied and snapped to the right. Samuel yelled again, "Double time, forward March!" Samuel started to run and the squad followed right next to him. It wasn't even a mellow jog, Samuel was pushing it.

Commandant Alison was watching from the distance. She gave Samuel and the other squad leaders a training regiment that the squads were going to complete on a day to day basis. She saw how the light the regiment the Gallian Army trained on, and the Militia just mimicked what the Gallian Army had. "Perhaps I could give a modified version of this to the Militia so they have a much better physical training when joining." She thought to herself.

There was a field setup for an obstacle course. Immediately after running, Samuel shouted, "Alright, 2 minutes to clear this obstacle course. Those who don't, repeat the course!" He ran the course in over a minute. The length of the course was 300 meters and consisted of 12 obstacles in rapid succession.

Low log jump followed by a run. Each low log jump is two and a half feet high

Overcome a pull bar 8 feet off the ground then run.

Step up on the low balance log and jump up to the Hand Over Pipes, hook feet on the pipes and slide down until the Log Walk is reached. Stand up and walk down the logs and jump up onto the High Roll Over Log, hang from the log and drop to the ground.

Jump over a low log. Continue running.

Get over a six and a half foot wood wall.

Vault over a five and a half foot high log.

Jump over a log that's set lower than others.

Vault over a series of five, five foot tall logs.

Jump over another low log.

Climb over double pull over bar. One is eight feet off the ground and the second is one foot higher.

Low log jump.

Lastly a twenty foot rope climb. Time is stopped once the top of the rope has been tapped.

The squad tried for many hours attempting to clear the course. The twins Charles and Jane struggled near the beginning attempting to clear the pull bar. They would lose momentum by kicking their feet out which would cause them to lose their center of gravity. Kenway, Jack, and Oscar struggled with the high wall. Kenway lacked the upper-body strength to pull himself over it entirely. Oscar would lose his grip in attempt to get over. Lastly, Jack would fail repeatedly due to being short and his inability to make a successful jump to grab the top. Ashleigh, Samantha, and Eve all had problems with the five, five foot tall logs. Ashleigh couldn't find the rhythm to vault. Samantha slowed down to make sure she didn't have her legs catch onto the previous log. Eve was a bit shorter and struggled to jump over each log. At the rope climb, Nathan Hale taps the top and receives a time of one minute and twenty-five seconds. He would be the only squad member to clear the course. Tyler, Alex, and Seryna would clear the course but went past the maximum amount of time.

Nathan stood at the end of the course with a confident grin as everyone else struggled to do it. He looked at Samuel as he waited for orders. Samuel crossed his arms and looked at the course, "Do it again." He said coldly.

After hours of the squad doing the obstacle course, the squad finally had a little break. Everyone was bent down tired as they drank their water. Everyone including Nathan were panting, sweating, and overall dead tired from the course. They all hoped that this was the only PT they had today. Samuel uncrossed his arms, "Alright, break time is over."

Charles panted, "But Gunnery Sergeant, it's only been two minutes."

Jane patted her twin on the back, "Can't we get more time…"

Samuel stared coldly, "Oh gee whiz." He approached the twins, "I'm sure the enemy would LOVE for you two take a break. I'm sure your fellow squad members would LOVE for you to take a break when bullets are flying." Everyone remained silent. Samuel pointed to a steep hill behind him, "Get your shit, we're running hill 22." Everyone groaned.

By the end of the day, the squad ran up the six mile hill two times and completed the obstacle course one more time. They were all exhausted from the day of physical training. Gunnery Sergeant Samuel walked to them and said, "Today was an easy day. Rest up and be ready. Dismissed." Samuel walked off and the squad was left to return back to their barracks with their heads down.

"Ahh, man. That was painful. I'll be feeling that for the next week," Kenway said as he went with his fellow male squad members back to their respective barracks. There were groans coming from multiple squad members that were experiencing the intense training for the first time.

"I'll say. Doggoned legs won't move right now," Oscar said trying to walk to his rack. "Can't believe this will be happening everyday."

"It will be a struggle, but everything else will feel like nothing in a month's time. We'll have more endurance than the heinous Regulars!" Nathan encouraged them. The boys headed towards the showers laughing. He hit Oscar on the back in a friendly manner, "Worry not! We'll be lean and mean in no time!" He plopped onto his rack and rested his head against his pillow.

The girls squad members, returning from the showers, proceeded to enjoy casual talk. "So... today was exhausting," Jane trying to laugh off the pain. She grabbed a towel and started to run it through her hair. The girl's barracks was filled with lockers being opened and closed. Seryna sighed and let her shoulder length hair roam free. Her hair tickled her bare shoulders.

"Jane, I suggest you don't swing your feet when you're mounting over the pull bar. It makes you lose the momentum. Trust me, you need to clear it," Seryna finally said.

"I understand, Staff Sergeant," Jane replied, "Oh, by the way, do you think we are allowed to visit the boys barracks?" There was a silence. "What?" She asked. "I'm just going to see my brother."

"Twins can't let go of each other, huh?" Ashleigh smiled. "I think we're not allowed to do that. Didn't you two have separate rooms?"

"No, my brother and I slept together. We always have. However, I guess since there are rules now...I'll try to sleep alone." Jane said, but her voice and her body posture showed she was rather scared to sleep by herself. Samantha, whom was admiring the curves of Seryna, spoke up.

"Now, now, Jane, why don't you sleep with me. I may not be your brother, but at least I can provide some comfort." She said in open arms. "I'd love some extra warmth tonight." Jane was confused, but she understood that it was an invitation to have someone to sleep with. She jumped into Samantha's arms.

"That's a scene I'd like to see everyday. It's so sweet of you, Samantha." Eve finally said after watching it occur. "Anyways, we should be off to bed. We got an early morning rise. Good night!" The rest of the girls fell into their racks and Jane snuggled tightly with Samantha. The lights went out and shortly after they fell asleep.

It was early in the next morning. Just another typical brisk and cool morning of the Gallia. The sun wasn't even up yet, so the moon shined over the base liberating the country side of some darkness. Delta Squad slept soundly in their barracks just like all the other Marine training units on the base. All Marine recruits slept soundly in their respective barracks' awaiting for the start of another day of training. But for Delta Squad, their day is starting a lot sooner than they wished. Samuel slammed oped the male barracks door and turned on the lights, "Lights! Lights! Lights!" He yelled. He kicked the first two racks with his boot, "Why isn't anyone up? Why isn't there anyone on watch?" The male recruits of Delta Squad kicked themselves awake and jumped off their racks and stood in the position of attention by their rack. Samuel walked up and down the figurative highway yelling commands, "Next time! Have two of you on watch at all times for one hour shifts!" He stopped in his tracks, "If you don't want the enemy to kill you in your sleep! I suggest that you have someone keeping post!" He turned around back to the door, "Get in your PT gear. You have five minutes."

Jack Conklin gritted his teeth, "Oh man…" Everyone groaned.

Over at the female barracks, the women of the squad were all fast asleep still. Unknowing to what will happen in the next few seconds. Like the male barracks, Samuel kicked open the door and turned on the lights. Before the women could realize what was going on, Samuel noticed Jane and Samantha sleeping in the same rack. He stomped over to them and flipped over the rack with his boot. Jane and Samantha fubbled in surprise under their overturned rack. Samuel put his boot on the overturned rack, pinning Samantha and Jane under it. He yelled, "What is this? A little friendship cuddle? Cute." He walked off down the highway like he did in the male barracks and yelled at them like he did to the males. He barked his orders for two recruits to keep post like he did to the men. The he barked his final order, "Get in your PT gear. You have five minutes to meet outside." He power walked out of the female squad bay. Seryna just watched the closed door with concerned eyes. She notices that Samuel is holding something back within him causing him to be the cold individual he's being right now.

Jane got out from under the rack, "I hate him!"

Samantha patted her back, "Just get your PT gear on. If we don't get out in time we're really in for it."

Three months past and the intense training hasn't loosened it's grip on the squad. Although the obstacle course was only for a month of the three months, there were many other events. The squad like every other Marine recruit unit went through grueling hikes of 3, 6, 9, and 12 miles with combat gear and load, weapon qualification, weapon maintenance, firing ranges, land navigation for day and night, small unit combat tactics, combat exercises and drills, night drills, and intense training on hand-to-hand fighting. Fortunately, many of these exercises are where many of the squad members excelled.

Tyler Herrick, a proficient sniper, maintained 100% accuracy which was unheard of. His spotter confirmed he didn't hit anything but the center of the target. The twins Charles and Jane were quick to disassemble Gallian-1 rifles and reassemble them back together. Seryna and Ashleigh could go through the hikes efficiently and effortlessly. Oscar would be able to take down other Marines in Close Quarter Combat (CQC). His only opponent that he struggled with was Jack Conklin. However, with all the success that the squad had, it was not enough to impress Samuel. Samuel drilled the squad to no end. He would push them past their limits and demand perfection which seemed almost impossible to accomplish.

Outside the barracks one day, Oscar was fed up with the intense training and he stormed towards his commanding officer. He approached his Gunnery Sergeant who was walking away from the squad for the night.

"Gunnery Sergeant, this is insane! We'll be dead before we even reach the battlefields with the way you've been training us! I demand, on behalf of everyone, for you to lighten the load of which we have to train!" Oscar shouted as he approached Samuel. The rest of the squad came behind him, though there was uncertainty in the squad. Some agreed with Oscar, others wanted to stop Oscar, and there were a few that didn't want any arguments. Samuel stopped and turned around and simply looked at them. He acknowledge their presence, but refused to speak on the matter. He resumed his walk back to his room. Jack was infuriated at this, so he picked up a rock and threw it at Samuel's back.

"Hey Oscar's talking to you!" He yelled. Samuel cleared his throat then turned around.

"Right now, I don't have to tell you a reason for what I assigned. I'm following orders from my commander. If you would excuse me, I have a meeting to attend." He turned back around to begin walking again. This made Jack really upset and he sent a clenched right fist towards Samuel. Like he had eyes on the back of his head, Samuel ducked then turned around towards the punch and to the left. Using his right hand he grabbed Jack's wrist and twisted his arm behind him. He twerked Jack's arm into a position where he can't move it. Samuel then twists the wrist towards Jack and kicks the back of his knee forcing Jack to fall to his knees. "Any insubordination is mutiny. Mutiny will get you shot. This applies to all of you! Am I clear?" The was a silence amongst them. Samuel said louder, "AM I CLEAR?"

"Yes, Gunnery Sergeant!" The squad said in unison.

"If you understand, return to the barracks." The squad shuffled out and closed Samuel's door.

"Now Jack." Samuel cocked his arm further upwards causing more pain to Jack. Samuel gritted his teeth, "Do not assume you have rights here. You are a recruit, you aren't a Marine yet. You don't get to demand anything from me or from your superiors." He put his foot on his back and pushed him face down on the dirt, "You. Are. A. Recruit. Try to remember that next time." Samuel let go of Jack and left. The squad all watched what unfolded from within their respective barracks.


End file.
